A number of prior inventions relate to methods for individuals to order transportation services through technology mediums like mobile phones, web platforms, and travel reservation systems. US Patent Publication 2002/0072938, titled “Ground transportation internet reservation system” (application Ser. No. 09/924,804, abandoned), discloses an on-line/Internet interface connecting the public, travel agencies, corporate travel offices and thousands of car service companies. In addition to handling various back office billing and record keeping functions, this invention makes chauffeured vehicle services available on a basis comparable to that of other historic elements of the travel industry. Some other industry leading travel reservation systems used by travel agencies and travel offices of corporations are WorldSpan, Sabre, Galileo, and Amadeus (Europe).
Other companies such as RideCharge, have released products for use with mobile phones that allow corporate travel managers and individuals to control ground travel costs with electronic booking, payment, and expense management for taxi, sedan, limo and shuttle services throughout the US. Individual car services also have applications that allow corporate clients and individuals to book car services directly via electronic forums and by phone.
Still others have proposed methods which enable individuals to discover other travelers with similar and compatible travel plans, for purposes of contacting them and negotiating shared travel agreements. A representative method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,019 to Hurtzeler, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
With millions of ride reservations processed annually, many of the starting and ending points of these rides have distances close to one another, and overlap in the time they are taken. Therefore, an opportunity presents itself to conjoin applicable reservations, in order to place multiple people in the same vehicle, thus reducing travel expenses for each party as well as carbon footprints. At present, there is no seamless and electronic method of connecting these car service reservations so that similar rides can be matched and shared. The present invention will add ride sharing capabilities to existing, or newly created platforms, to address this inefficiency.